The train trip from Chur is brilliant & is a wonderful way to start a ski trip to any resort, let alone Arosa;

Even better is the train is FREE with any valid Arosa Lenzerheide lift pass.

Cons

Limited advanced & expert terrain (Weisshorn excepted);

Not too many places to hide in poor weather!;

Accommodation in the village books out quickly;

The bus crossing the piste trail between Innerarosa & Hörnli Talstation is interesting, but ridiculous.

Arosa village spends a lot of time in the shade during winter & can be very cold.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

The village is not particularly pretty & is quite spread out;

All the ski slopes get drenched in morning sun;

Can be expensive to ski & stay (but you are in Switzerland after all)!

Arosa Skiing & Snowboarding

Set in a south east facing bowl dominated by the Weisshorn (2653m - the highest point at Arosa), Plattenhorn and Hörnli, Arosa is an intermediate skier & snowboarder nirvana. See the Arosa ski trail map here.

Beginners have a range of suitable lifts & trails around the base areas of the resort and up to Tschuggen, plus longer trails from the tops of the Plattenhorn & Brüggerhorn chairs. Advanced riders have steep options on & off piste from the top of Weisshorn & Brueggerhorn, but the better decision is to head to Lenzerheide via the Urdenbahn where the real action is.

The ski lifts at Arosa are generally modern with the one exception being an old 2er chairlift serving the resort's best off-piste terrain on the Brüggerhorn. The Brueggerhorn chair is being replaced with a high speed 6-seater from season 2018/19, bringing all of Arosa's lifts into the 21st century!

Arosa Interlinked with Lenzerheide

The linking of Arosa & Lenzerheide via the Urdenbahn cable cars has revolutionised the ski resorts. Whilst they are not piste trail connected, lift tickets are valid in both ski areas. Lenzerheide has a wider variety of terrain & a longer skiable vertical. See the Arosa Lenzerheide ski trail map here.

Arosa Snow & Weather

Arosa is a high elevation, high average snowfall ski resort. Average annual snowfall is over 8m, putting it on a par with many of the world's best ski resorts.

On a sunny morning, while the town freezes below in the shade, the upper mountain of Arosa ski resort basks in glorious sunshine, allowing the early bird to catch the worm. Those that wake first, take first*! (*Snowcreep, 2018)

Where is Arosa, Switzerland?

Arosa is in the canton of Grisons (Graubünden) in southeast Switzerland. The gateway international airport is Zurich.

The town of Arosa is the terminus for the fabulous railway line from Chur. The train journey takes around 1hr. Trains travel to Chur direct from Zurich main station in 1.25hr. The train is the recommended mode of travel to the resort here.

By road, Arosa is 29km (45min) from Chur & 155km (2.25hr) from Zurich airport. But why drive when you take the train?

Arosa Accommodation

Arosa ski resort has mostly high-end accommodations, but with only limited amounts of ski-in ski-out options. Accommodations at Arosa are spread around the shore of the frozen Obersee lake. The train station is central to most lodgings in the town.

A wide range of top-class lodgings including numerous 5-star hotels are further up the valley at Innerarosa and even higher still near the Hörnli valley station. Some great ski in ski out hotels are located up at Prätschli, however they are separated from the main town, its bars, restaurants & services.

The direct train from Chur to Arosa opens up lodging potential in towns along the route. The quaint villages of Litzirueti, Langwies, St Peter - Molinis all have traditional hotels & guesthouses. Chur provides some of the best accommodation off the ski resort.

If Arosa or the smaller villages are booked out, stay in Chur & take the train up.

Lovely Lenzerheide is lift linked to Arosa & can be used as a convenient base to ski the area. Lenzerheide is well positioned for sun throughout most of the day. You can stay in & around the town itself or further down the valley in Valbella, Parpan or Churwalden, all of which are lift linked into the Lenzerheide ski resort.

Arosa Ski Rentals & Lessons

Ski rentals are available in the Arosa village right next the chairlift base across for the train station. Search & book Arosa ski or snowboard rentals here.

Arosa has numerous ski instructors, ski schools & guides plying their trade in the ski resort & adjoining valleys. To see what they have to offer, search & book a private lesson or resort guide with the best providers here.

Arosa Mountain Huts, Bars & Restaurants

The Arosa ski resort is one of those places that when the sun shines, so do the mountain huts. Dotted across the ski area, the Hüttes at Arosa are fantastic, providing visitors with a food, beverage & après experience as good as Italy & Austria. And while the sun may give one a goggle tan, the prices at the Arosa mountain bars & restaurants won't bring tears to yours eyes.

Some suggestions include the following. Breakfast with views at the top of the resort in the modern shining metal construct that is the Weisshorngifel (s classical music ensemble plays on Sunday mornings). Morning coffee & cake in the modern cafe called SIT-Hütte on Tschuggen. Lunch on Hörnli at the Hörnli-Hütte, then relax with a brew on the adjacent loungers. Afternoon snack of grilled brats at Carmennahütte plus a weissbier of course. Then finish up with raucous après back on Tschuggen at the huge Tschuggenhütte before a bleary eyed ski down, taking all care of course!

Arosa Activities

The beauty of Arosa (& many other Swiss ski resorts for that matter) is that you don't have to be a skier or snowboarder to enjoy the resort in winter.

An intricate set of winter walking trails lead to all points of the resort. Unusually though, the walking trails also include the two highest points in the resort. Combining cable car & gondola trips with walking allows access to the all the resorts best views, restaurants, bars & terrain without ever donning ski gear.

Three sledging (sledding or toboggan) trails, two snow shoe trails, horse drawn sled rides & ice skating are but a few of the other ways to energise oneself at Arosa. All trails end in food & drink at a cosy mountain hut.

For skiers, the ski safari route from under the Urdenbahn down to Tschiertschen (a small village & secret stash ski resort), then up & across to Lenzerheide via Churwalden or Parpan is high adventure. Get a guide to make the most of it.